In a chartered flight that originated in Miami Thursday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) returned 73 aliens, including 69 convicted criminals, to the Dominican Republic. Those removed included three convicted of murder, two convicted of sex offenses and one who was wanted for murder in the Dominican Republic.

ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Air Operations Unit coordinated the flight that returned the 73 Dominican males to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. These individuals came into ICE custody from locations throughout the United States. They were housed at various detention facilities across the country before being transported to the Oakdale Federal Detention Center in Louisiana or the Krome Service Processing Center in Miami before being removed.

Rafael Tejada-Morilla, 47, who was the subject of an Interpol Red Notice and an outstanding warrant of arrest for murder in the Dominican Republic, was removed to Santo Domingo via the ICE Air Operations flight. Upon arrival at Las Americas International Airport in Santo Domingo, Tejada-Morilla was turned over to Dominican law enforcement and immigration authorities.

On Feb. 27, 2008, Tejada-Morilla was sentenced to seven years in prison for criminal possession of a controlled substance in the second degree in New York County Supreme Court. On March 18, 2011, Tejada-Morilla was transferred from New York State Department of Correctional Services to ICE custody.

ICE officers and medical staff with the ICE Health Service Corps (IHSC) accompanied aliens on the flight.

ICE routinely uses special air charters to transport aliens who have final orders of removal from an immigration judge. Staffed by ICE ERO officers, these air charters enable the agency to repatriate large groups of deportees in an efficient, expeditious, and humane manner.